Looking back, it is easy to see how this tragedy unfolded. The FDA approved OxyContin without a proper review. Purdue exaggerated its benefit and downplayed its risk. The drugmaker bought doctor loyalty by hosting more than forty pain management training conferences, some at warm-weather resorts. Upwards of five thousand physicians, pharmacists, and nurses attended these all-expense-paid meetings where Purdue recruited and trained them to speak on matters important to the company, according to the American Journal of Public Health.
